"Johannes Felsenstein has created a memorable staging, which uses historical footage from the 1930s containing images of hungry children in breadlines and other, similarly impoverished situations, to set the tone. The footage fades into the opening scene, which takes its graphic cues from that period for the costumes and décor.... The two women who portray the children, Hänsel by Sabine Noack and Gretel by Cornelia Marschall, are quite effective. In addition to their fine command of the music, they evoke the children physically in their interactions with each other. Even in the comparatively plainer setting of the children's passage through the forest, the reactions of Marschall as Gretel give a sense of elements she alone can see…. Noack has captured the mannerisms of Hänsel nicely, and at times it is difficult to imagine that she is playing a boy.... As strong as the visual dimension is in this production, the musical elements are well executed throughout."—Opera Today

"A strong and capable performance, very well conducted.... Ensemble is first-rate, not least from the children’s chorus who sing from the front of the stage. The recording is exceptionally full and vivid.... A highly individual version of a much-loved opera."—Gramophone